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Don’t Count Chrysler out Just yet

The Chrysler brand currently offers a grand total of two models in its lineup, with rumors indicating that one of those – the Chrysler 300 – is coming to an end by the time 2020 rolls around – and with no replacement in sight. On the other hand, the Pacifica minivan is likely to soldier on for at least another decade after just undergoing a massive overhaul in 2018. When Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) presented their five-year product roadmap (2018-2022) with the intention of electrifying a large part of their lineup to comply with changing regulations across the globe the Chrysler brand was seemingly missing from the plans. Was it intentional? Let’s break down the latest rumors.

Allpar is reporting that the Chrysler portfolio is set to expand its lineup in the years to come with the addition of two new crossovers. Rumor has it that one of the crossovers will be what’s currently sold only on the Chinese car market as a Jeep Grand Commander. The Grand Commander is a seven-seater mid-size crossover SUV that strongly resembles the Grand Cherokee; it debuted in the Spring of 2018 at the Beijing Auto Show. Chrysler hasn’t offered an SUV in its lineup since 2009, the final model year of the Aspen. Considering that the Grand Commander is more of a near-luxury crossover it makes sense to manufacture it under the Chrysler brand instead of Jeep as it would fit the brand’s image much better. Spy photographers have captured the Grand Commander testing on U.S. soil for more than a year now, so no one should be surprised if Chrysler has a surprise up its sleeve at one of the upcoming car shows.

Another possibility in the works for Chrysler that’s in desperate need of fresh metal is a crossover based on the current Dodge Charger’s platform according to Allpar. As the auto industry consistently shies away from sedans and dramatically shifts towards SUVs and crossovers it’s a little alarming that we’ve yet to see either in Chrysler’s lineup. Sedan sales are dwindling thus releasing a crossover would be a smart move, but some industry insiders are questioning the decision to base it on the Charger – a car that’s running on a 13-year-old platform. Who’s to say both platforms can’t be updated before the big reveal? Although nothing has been confirmed yet by the brand, we eagerly await to hear about a possible crossover from Chrysler.

We also reported a few months ago (September 2018) that Chrysler was seemingly on its way to becoming a “people mover” brand thanks to the Portal Concept vehicle that the brand presented at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show. The Portal Concept is a six-passenger multi-purpose vehicle considered to be an all-electric crossover-meets-minivan. It was designed by Millennials on Chrysler’s design team and is said to be explicitly targeted towards millennial buyers and features facial and voice recognition, a panoramic dashboard, a retractable aviation-inspired steering wheel, customizable light signatures, and a configurable interior. No word yet from Chrysler if this will go into production anytime soon.